You’re in for a bumpy ride if you regularly travel the streets that topped CAA’s yearly list of the worst roads in the province.
For the second year in a row, Hamilton’s Burlington Street East has taken the title as being the worst street in the province. First appearing on the annual top 10 list back in 2009, the street that everyone loves to hate now holds the record for making the list each of the last 10 years.
"It's clear from the results of this year's CAA Worst Roads campaign, that there are several roads that continue to be an issue for the public despite appearing on the list many times," said Raymond Chan, government relations specialist, CAA South Central Ontario in a press release. "There are also some roads that seem to be emerging as new challenges for road users, and so we will be encouraging decision-makers to look at these roads before issues become persistent."
The 10 Worst Roads in the Province
Overwhelmingly the reason these 10 roads made the list are for potholes. When voting, 75% of survey respondents said potholes were the primary problem, 14% cited limited or missing cycling infrastructure, and 10% said congestion was the main issue.
Many of the streets featured in this year's Worst Roads survey are repeat offenders (bolded) and appeared on last year’s list as well:
- Burlington Street East (Hamilton)
- County Road 49 (Prince Edward County)
- Duckworth Street (Barrie)
- Avondale Road (Belleville)
- Eglinton Avenue West (Toronto)
- Drummond Road (Niagara Falls)
- Dufferin Street (Toronto)
- McLeod Road (Niagara Falls)
- Pelham Road (St. Catharines)
- Lockhart Road (Innisfil)
What to Do if Your Car Is Damaged by a Pothole and Needs Repairs
While simply paying for the repairs yourself is one option, there are other alternatives you can consider if your car sustains considerable damage after hitting a pothole:
1. Going through auto insurance
If you have collision coverage, which is optional, you can go through your auto insurance. However, insurance insider Anne Marie Thomas from InsuranceHotline.com offers some insight that may cause some drivers to rethink this choice: “Damage to your car from hitting a pothole is likely going to be considered an at-fault collision because it is a single-vehicle accident,” she explains. “As with any at-fault collision, there’s the potential for a premium increase when it comes time to renew, and this is on top of the deductible that you’ll have to pay when submitting the claim.”
2. Submit a claim to the city or municipality for damages
Another option is to seek compensation for repairs from the agency responsible for maintaining the road where the pothole is located. In Hamilton, Barrie, Toronto and the Niagara Region for example, you can submit a claim for pothole damages if you believe the minimum maintenance levels set out by the province haven’t been met.
If you choose to go with either of these two options, document everything: take photos of the damage to your vehicle, the pothole (when it’s safe to do so), and make note of the date, time and the location of the pothole. Then map out a new route until the pothole is fixed.
